Due to water supply issues in the city of Greeneville and at the direction of the local emergency management agency, Greeneville Community Hospital is in the process of evacuating current inpatients. Ballad Health team members are working with local emergency medical services to transfer patients to other facilities within the health system—families of affected patients are being updated.
The hospital is suspending all operations except its emergency room, which will remain open for local emergent and obstetric (OB) patients.
Please see below for Ballad Health updates:
Systemwide phone outages
To contact Ballad Health or inquire about healthcare:
Anyone experiencing an emergency should call 911.
Ballad Health has 24/7 monitoring in place for its website chat function at www.balladhealth.org/contact .
Urgent questions can be sent via direct message to Ballad Health’s social media pages.
Please note: Ballad Health will not be able to prove patient information through social media.
For durable medical equipment (DME) inquiries, please call 423-483-8500. This line is being manned 24/7 by additional support.
Support for team members
Ballad Health Foundation is establishing a flood assistance fund to support team members and community members affected by the storm.
Ballad Health is also working to connect team members affected by the devastation of Hurricane Helene through the health system’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP). All benefit-eligible team members and their dependents have access to the EAP, which includes the Ballad Health Foundation Team Member Assistance Fund, which is reserved to help team members experiencing a crisis. The EAP also offers counseling and other behavioral health services for team members and their dependents.
Community offers of support
As people throughout the Appalachian Highlands reach out to support those affected by the floods, Ballad Health is helping facilitate donations and offers to help:
Donations of clothing, home supplies and other goods can be made to local Red Cross and United Way agencies.
Non-perishable foods can be brought to Ballad Health human resources offices to be distributed to the team member food pantries.
Support for the Ballad Health Team Member Emergency Fund can be made online at
www.balladhealth.org/foundation/donate-online or by calling 423-302-3131, Monday-Friday.
Sycamore Shoals Hospital inpatient services remain suspended
Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton safely evacuated 39 inpatients on Friday, Sept. 27, and has suspended operations except the Emergency Room, which will remain open for local, incoming patients.
Current inpatients were transferred to other hospitals throughout Ballad Health.
Unicoi County Hospital update
All patients and team members were successfully rescued from Unicoi County Hospital on Friday, Sept. 27.
Affected patients have been transferred to Johnson City Medical Center, and their families have been updated. The hospital remains closed until further notice. Ballad Health will assess the damage once flood water recedes and provide updates on the status of the facility. We will ensure all current and future patients can access care at neighboring facilities.
Elective surgeries postponed
All Ballad Health facilities are postponing all elective surgery cases. More details will be released as they develop. Ballad Health Medical Associates clinics
Several area clinics and urgent care offices have closed. Please call ahead before seeking care.
Event Cancellations
The following Ballad Health events have been cancelled or postponed. Additional information about these events will be provided at a later date.
Johnston Memorial Hospital Foundation Boots and Bowties
Camp Firefly
Ballad Health/ETSU Recovery Symposium
Questions
For questions, please contact the Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center at [email protected].
